Solace
by Engxty Piksy
Summary: After so many years of wandering around aimlessly, Sasuke Uchiha finally felt like he was really home. kinda sasusaku. read and review!


Agonizing pain ripped through his battered and bruised body. He tried to breath but it felt like something was choking him. After several moments of intense struggle, he pried his eyes open-just barely managing. The first thing he saw was his brother's-his _aniki's_ body laying there, with that _stupid _smile still on his face. Suddenly his knees buckled, not being able to support his mangled body anymore. He fell to the ground next to his brother in a bloody heap and his attention was once again snapped back to the pain in his body. He felt like he was on fire. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.

_"Is this how it was supposed to end?" _He thought bitterly.

His brother, who had once been his entire world, his pillar of support, now lay dead beside him. He had completed his goal, gotten his revenge, so what was he supposed to do now? What was he supposed to be now? His whole life had been defined by this one aim, and now that even that was done with, exactly what would his life mean now? If he could, he would have laughed at the irony; since day one of his pitiful life, he had dreamt about getting his revenge but now that it had been done, he hardly even knew who he was anymore.

As he lay there, waiting for death to consume him and give him relief from the pain his body was in, he heard someone's hurried footsteps. He tried to open his eyes but finding that he couldn't, he just stayed there, waiting for the person to reach him.

The newcomer dropped to their knees beside him with a thud. Then he felt himself being lifted and put into their lap. He was puzzled. Why was this person being so gentle with him? He was an S-class rogue ninja for crying out loud! He didn't deserve gentleness. But then the person spoke and it was then that he recognized the voice he hadn't heard for so long. It shocked him to think that she would still come to him and hold him after what he had done to her.

_"Sakura!" _He tried to call out to here, to talk to her but he could hardly breathe let alone talk. She must have seen his efforts because she put her finger on her lips and shushed him softly. She started healing him then; he guessed that when he felt soothing chakra entering him, almost lulling him to sleep but he fought that temptation. When his most serious injuries were healed up, Sakura suddenly pulled him closed to her, almost hugging him. She was crying, he could feel that.

_"You scared me Sasuke-kun,I thought you were dead when I found you!"._She said, in a heavy tear-laced voice._"But don't worry Sasuke-kun. You're home now" _He guessed she was probably smiling now.

As his body refused to let him stay awake anymore, he mustered up the last of his strength and forced his eyes open. He managed to do it this time but just barely. Fearing his body would shut down on him very soon, he quickly spoke, in a raspy and hoarse voice, _"Thank you Sakura." _And his world turned black. But just before giving in to that blackness, He caught a glimpse of Sakura's eyes, and what he saw in those emerald eyes made him smile for the first time since his family's massacre. Because ,in those eyes, he saw love, he saw acceptance and most of all, he saw hope. Hope for him. And as the darkness enveloped him, he could a light shining somewhere far away. Maybe it wasn't the end for him after all.

Yes, Sakura was right. Because now, after so many years of wandering around aimlessly, Sasuke Uchiha finally _did_ feel like he was home.

Looking at the injured body in front of her, Sakura was shocked to see that there was a smile on that face. It was a small one, yes but the fact that Sasuke Uchiha, the man who never displayed any other expression other than anger, was smiling was the extremely shocking to say the least. Just that fact made her smile too. She was happy. Because she had finally succeeded in getting back her teammate-no, her _friend. _

She heard someone coming behind her but she didn't turn around; she already knew who it was._"Took you long enough" _She said with mock annoyance. The only response she got was a chuckle. And together, they carried their friend back home. Finally, team 7 would be whole once again.


End file.
